Author: Double Threat Charters

The benefits of fluorocarbon fishing line have been a subject of debate since the material went mainstream. Fluorocarbon definitely carries a hefty price tag when compared to standard monofilament. If you really research it, fluorocarbon has less stretch, is only marginally less visible underwater, and has less knot strength. Why then, does fluorocarbon fly off the shelves?

With excellent abrasion resistance and added stealth, fluorocarbon makes an great leader material. As a charter captain, I really need to weigh the pros and cons of any product we use to make sure there is return on investment. While fishing for mahi-mahi for example, we use monofilament leaders and do just fine. When the fish are spooky however, fluoro is the way to go. If I was strictly a weekend or tournament fishermen, I would exclusively use fluorocarbon as leader in every part of my spread. Having a full spectrum fluorocarbon inventory takes a bit of an upfront investment but it honestly doesn't cost very much per trip. When you fish mostly on weekends it is worth it completely.

A good example where we fish fluorocarbon exclusively is while sight fishing for sailfish. Sails have excellent eyesight and when they are tailing they are migrating and saving energy, not necessarily feeding. As a result, any bait we pitch at them needs to be frisky and paired with a light leader. We typically go for 30lb fluorocarbon while targeting sailfish on spinning rods during our Miami Fishing Charters. Because of it's abrasion resistance, we can use as light as 25lb fluoro if we use light drag. When fishing standard monofilament, 50lb is the minimum we use. With lighter leader you can get more bites especially from picky fish.

We Help Millions Of Anglers Spend More Time Fishing

We hope that you enjoyed this article on the Bullbuster Community. It is our mission to help millions of anglers spend more time fishing and that starts with YOU!